


Here We Are (Don't Turn Away)

by setos_puppy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Uliro Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 22:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11045745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/setos_puppy/pseuds/setos_puppy
Summary: The silence in the Castle was almost oppressive.  Shiro hated nights like this.





	Here We Are (Don't Turn Away)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first dip into the fandom so feedback is highly appreciated. Thank you to bosstoaster for all the help and feedback and editing.

The silence in the Castle was almost oppressive. Shiro hated nights like this. When the cold lingered on his skin and in the back of his mind. When the silence wasn’t comforting like it used to be. When the slightest sound sent a jagged bolt of adrenaline through his body. It was deep into the night cycle as he padded through the Castle halls, aimlessly looking for a distraction. Maybe he would curl up in the cockpit of his Lion, or find one of the many ancient tomes lying around in abandoned corners. Right now, all he needed was something to shut up the endless buzzing in the back of his brain.

Pushing into the training simulator, Shiro blinked, brows climbing up slowly at the sight of Ulaz in a far corner, moving in slow, repetitive motions of some sort of exercise. 

“Looks like I’m not the only one who can’t sleep.”

Ulaz’s head twisted slowly and he stilled his movements, taking in a few uneven breaths. “Indeed not. Too quiet.”

Shiro snorted slightly and nodded his head. He’d used to love the quiet. However, the time… away had been filled with noise. A constant to-ing and fro-ing of movements outside of his cell. The chatter of guards and their heavy footfalls. Their scheduled routines had lulled Shiro to sleep and had aided him in his escape as much as Ulaz had. 

It seemed that this was going to be yet another night with the two of them keeping each other company. They’d found themselves spending more and more time together since the horrible Robeast fight that had almost claimed Ulaz as a final victim. 

“Most nights it’s not so bad.” Shiro finally said, watching Ulaz relax back into his exercises. 

“Is it common for your people to be so isolated and quiet?”

Shiro shrugged. “We like our space. Are the Blades more communal?” It had seemed so from his short stint with them. Probably a mix of Galran culture and also the necessity of closed quarters that came with a secretive organization. 

“Partly. There was always noise on the ships. A reminder that you weren’t alone.” Ulaz stopped his movements abruptly, body tensing. One of his hands reached for his shoulder, pressing into the joint as his head dropped slightly. Shiro stepped forward momentarily before stopping himself. 

“You okay?”

Ulaz’s eyes flickered over to him, face a passive mask, the pain only betrayed by the tight lines around his mouth as he rolled the shoulder, pressing against it with the heel of his hand. “The scarring, it causes tightness.” 

Shiro’s eyes traced over Ulaz’s form, watching as he forced himself to move his arm. Finally he closed the gap between them, hand reaching up toward Ulaz. “Relax your body, you’re too tense for anything to move properly.”

Ulaz fixed him with a bland expression before nodding curtly and his mouth curled upward slightly. He removed his hand, letting Shiro reach up, massaging into the reconstituted flesh and muscle. Shiro’s brows furrowed with concentration as he guided Ulaz in rolling his shoulder and pressed insistently with his fingers against the joint until he felt something give. 

Ulaz’s head fell back with a muted groan and he jerked back slightly. “Your princess’s healing pods are appreciated, but their work can be slightly sloppy.”

Shiro’s mouth fell open a moment, pressing in as he felt a ‘pop’ in the joint and Ulaz gave another low noise. Shiro smirked before meeting Ulaz’s eyes. “We all have the scars they gift us. The Empire’s medical facilities aren’t exactly pleasant, either.” 

Ulaz turned to watch Shiro for a moment before he tipped his head to the side in mute agreement and stepped back slightly. “Thank you.”

Shiro took a few steps back as well. “No need to thank me. I know all about shoulder trouble.” He wiggled his metallic fingers with a self-deprecating smirk. 

Ulaz was quiet for a long moment before he moved back to close the gap between them once more and laid his hands on Shiro’s shoulders. “I am sorry for what Haggar did to you. Sorry that the Blade could not get to you sooner.” He paused, fingers curling slightly to grip a bit tighter. “This is no place for such talk. Perhaps we can go somewhere else?”

Shiro blanched a bit, not liking the idea of talking to Ulaz about all of this. He heaved out a breath, ready to brush Ulaz off but something in Ulaz’s face - his eyes - said that the invitation to talk wasn’t for Shiro’s benefit alone. Slowly he found himself nodding his head and stepped out of Ulaz’s hands. “Fine, but I’m going to need a drink first.”

Ulaz’s smile was sharp but understanding. “Agreed.”

 

***

 

Half an hour later after a bit of experimenting with a few of the things they’d gotten from the Blades and also picked up at various ports, Shiro managed to cobble together something that vaguely resembled hot cocoa. He and Ulaz had relocated to Ulaz’s quarters - a more middling ground and easier for Shiro to lower his hackles in. He kept his hands wrapped around the mug and leaned his head back against the wall, letting the companionable silence stretched between them. It differed from the lonely silence that came when being in their rooms alone. 

Finally, Shiro looked sideways toward Ulaz, who was fascinated with the concoction he’d made and was taking small sips from it. “So, what did you want to talk about? You’ve been different since…”

Since the fight. Since he’d tossed his ship headlong into a Robeast and they found him floating in the wreckage and shoved him into a pod for one of the longest weeks Shiro had ever experienced. 

Ulaz shifted around on his bunk and then levelled Shiro with a look. “What are we to each other?”

Shiro’s brows winged up slightly and he tightened his grip on the mug, taking a few long sips, wondering if he could delay answering. When the tactic didn’t work and Ulaz’s eyes didn’t waver, Shiro finally looked back toward the Galra. “I don’t know. Comfort? Shelter from the conflicts?”

All they seemed to do was talk. Spend time together. They weren’t lovers. Weren’t boyfriends. It seemed like they were just another form of support even though both of them sought and found something of substance in their interactions. Something more. Shiro pressed his mouth into a line and shifted so they were thigh to thigh on the couch. 

“What would you call us?”

Ulaz’s hand easily curled over the line of Shiro’s arm, bracketing their bodies together. “There’s a word in our language but I doubt it translates well. It is a type of people - of companionship - that act as a sort of countenance to each other. Balance.”

“And what do these couples do together?”

“Many things. Mate. Fight. Discuss.” 

Shiro turned his head slightly and pressed his chin lightly against Ulaz’s chest, peering up at his face. “We seem to only do two of those things.” He grinned a bit, slightly playful, and reached up to press his finger through the soft thatch of hair on Ulaz’s head. “Are you not interested in me in other ways?”

Ulaz turned into the touch, taking their mugs and setting them aside and pulling Shiro easily into his lap, making a low, approving noise when either of Shiro’s knees hugged the sides of his thighs. He loomed over Shiro, pressing their foreheads together, smiling himself as he cradled the back of Shiro’s head, butting his nose up to Shiro’s temple. 

“We can attempt such things. I do not know if our bodies are compatible.” His teeth gently grazed the shell of Shiro’s ear and the very tip of his tongue traced after them. “It would be a fun experiment.”

Huffing out a breath, Shiro pressed a hand between them braced against Ulaz’s chest, relaxing into his bulk. God, how long had it been since he’d relaxed? Since he’d found someone who could match him? Who could so easily take him and his burdens on? He let his head loll back and watched Ulaz with a slightly dazed smile. 

“Sounds like fun, but not tonight. Tonight, I just want to be able to finally get some sleep.”

With a gentle, understanding noise, Ulaz moved the two of them easily, to Shiro’s heated delight. They’d been this close only once before. Stolen between the clash with the Blade and the Robeast. Now it was still as thrilling. As new and raw. Ulaz could just heft him around and it made him feel slightly drunk. 

They’d definitely need to explore that later.

Once Ulaz had positioned him where he wished with little fight from Shiro. As much as he tried to argue it he was exhausted. It had been a while since he’d done little else but collapse from exhaustion. He hummed, tired and feeling oddly safe, as Ulaz tended to the room and then tucked them in, pulling Shiro against his frame. 

With a wide yawn Shiro let his eyes close, listening to the sound of Ulaz’s breathing and the solid weight of him lull him into the best sleep in ages.


End file.
